Airship



H. STROBL Marh 1, 1933.

AIRSHIP Filed June 14, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet l In yen far JYans 671' Iflorney- H. STROBL March 7, 1933.

AIRSHIP 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 14 [n 2/6)? for lfans 671-0151 Patented Mar. 7, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HANS STROBL, F BERLIN-TEMPELHOF, GERMAN Y, ASSIGNOR TO LUFTSCHIFFBAU ZEPPELIN' GESELLSCHAFT MIT BESCHRANKTER HAFTUNG, OF FRIEDR-IGHSHAFEN,

BODENSEE, GERMANY AIRSHIP Application filed June 14, 1932. Serial No. 617,142, and in Germany June 15, 1931.

My invention relates to airships, especially gas inflated aircraft, and has special reference to the gas cells or gas bags therein, which are inflated with gas.

This gas generally is intended to give buoyancy to the airship because of its light weight. The common gas used for this purpose is hydrogen. But as this is inflammable helium gas was introduced for the 0 same purpose, because helium is non-inflammable. Unfortunately there is one economical disadvantage connected with the use of helium, that is its high price as compared with hydrogen. That is why it has been suggested to make use of both gases simultaneously and to make the construction and gas cell arrangement so that the dangerous hydrogen gas is surrounded and enclosed by helium gas. In case of a rupture or the like 0 only the non-inflammable helium will escape.

For this purpose it has been suggested to arrange two gas cells, one within the other, the inner one being inflated with the inflammable gas, whereas the outer gas cell contains the non-inflammable gas. But there are difliculties connected with this arrangement especially with regard to the valves on the inner gas cell and the ducts or hose for leading the gas escaping from such valves through the outer cell; Furthermore, there is always danger of the inner gas cell getting ruptures after it has been deflated partially or totally during flight.

All these disadvantages are overcome by my invention.

The outer gas cells which fit into the dif ferent compartments of the hull are more or less of a cylindrical shape or of that of r 0 touch the end discs of the outer cell. Thus Having given a general description of my invention I now want to point it out more in detail referring to the drawings which represent two examples embodying iny invent1on.

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary diagrammatic longitudinal vertical section through a rigid airship and Fig. 2 is a corresponding cross section taken on line IIII of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is also a fragmentary diagrammatic longitudinal section of a rigid airship but representing another modification of the invention. Fig. 4 is the corresponding cross section taken on line IVIV of Fig. 3.

The cross or ring girders are designated by 1, whereas Z are the longitudinal girders.

The rings 1" are braced by braces S, which are not shown in Figs. 2and 4. The outer cover is indicated at h. There is a longitudinal gangway U in the lower portion of the hull.

The gas cells H contain the non-inflammable noble gas, such as helium, whereas the gas cells W are inflated with hydrogen. There are gas ducts 12 provided between the adjacent noble gas cells into which safety valves 14 of these cells open. The valves 13 on the inner gas cells also open into these ducts leading to the back of the airship.

There are tension members Z fastened to the circumferential walls of theinner gas cell which by means of a hose connection or the like, as is well known in the art, penetrate through the disc of the outer gas cell. These members may also be fastened to the ring bracing S. Thus they serve for transmitting lift from the inner gas cell to the hull structure when the inner cell is inflated, and they also serve for supporting the walls of the inner gas cell, when it is empty or nearly empty.

In the example represented in Figs. 3 and 4 there is an additional gangway L in the middle of the airship which serves for stiffening the ring bracing S. Consequently the shape of the gas cells is somewhat different, as will be seen, especially from Fig. l. Otherwise the conditions are equal to those of the first example represented in Figs. 1 and 2, except tiat the tension members Z extend downward to the ring corners X.

I do not want to be limited to the details described or shown in the drawings as many variations will occur to those skilled in the art.

What I claim is:

1. In an airship of the lighter than air type a gas cell of substantially circular cross section with its axis substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the airship hull, and a smaller gas cell of substantially cylindrical shape so inserted in said first gas cell that the axes of both cells are substantially at right angles to each other.

2. An airship of the lighter than air type comprising a hull structure longitudinally subdivided by bulkheads into individual compartments, a gas cell in one of these compartments closely fitting therein, a second gas cell having substantially cylindrical shape inserted in said first gas cell and being so situated. that its axis is substantially at right angles to the longitudinal axis of said airship, the circumferential wall of said second gas cell substantially touching the end walls of said first gas cell.

3. An airship according to claim 2, further including tension means connecting said circumferential wall of said inner gas cell to points of said airship hull structure, said tension means penetrating through the end walls of said first gas cell.

4. An airship according to claim 2, further including a gas valve in said inner gas cell, said gas Valve being situated substantially at the touching line of the circumferential wall of said inner gas cell with one of the end walls of said outer gas cell.

5. An airship including a rigid frame, a gas cell positioned so that its axis extends substantially parallel to the axis of the airship, a. second gas cell contained within the first, and tension means connecting the second cell with the rigid frame, said means passing through the end walls of the first cell.

6. An airship including a substantially cylindrical "as cell with substantially fiat ends, and a second substantially cylindrical gas cell so positioned within the first gas cell as to have substantially a line contact with the first gas cell only at the comparatively fiat end portions thereof.

HANS STROBL. 

